Persephone Alcmedi 00 - Wicked Circle

cry.
    Johnny put his arm around her shoulders and answered, “Yes. Yes, of course I trust you.”
    At 10:00 a.m., Johnny’s cell phone rang. He scrabbled at the bedside table, came up with nothing and figured out it was still in the pocket of the jeans he’d dropped on the floor before crawling into bed. Leaning over the mattress edge, he snatched the bottom of one pant leg and dragged the denim close enough to dig into the pocket. “Hello?”
    “You asleep?” Todd asked.
    “Not anymore,” he told the local pack’s second-in-command.
    “The Zvonul made their official announcement a few hours ago. CNN picked up the story for their around-the-world snippets, and ten minutes ago they flashed your picture and name full screen. Thought you should know the world has gotten a glimpse at the Domn Lup.”
    Johnny grunted in reply.
    Todd hung up.
    “Could you do the forced-change spell for the men today?”
    Persephone blinked away sleep. “Huh? What happened to Monday?”
    Johnny had just finished showering. He rubbed a towel over his head and said, “I checked, and the moon will be midsky about four o’clock today. If you and the men go to the roof of the den, you could do the spell and be done before Menessos even rises. And the den is closer to the haven than here.”
    “Menessos said he wanted us to go to the haven together.”
    “No, he said he wanted you to go with him. Personally, I think you’d be better off to stay the hell away from the haven and the shabbubitum.”
    “You know I can’t do that.”
    He knew he couldn’t talk her out of it, but he had to try. “It’s not safe. They’re going to blame you no matter what.”
    “Menessos said he’d have a plan.”
    “I don’t trust him.”
    “I do.”
    Of course she did.
    “Those harpy things are coming tonight,” she argued. “I need to get ready for them.”
    “What are you planning to do?”
    “I left most of my supplies in Pittsburgh. I thought I’d run to Wolfsbane and Absinthe to restock, charge up my charms and maybe work up a potion, in case I need it tonight.”
    “But Menessos will have a plan.”
    She frowned at him.
    “Look, you were going to do magic anyway. This is just one more thing.”
    She sat up, irritated. “You don’t know what you’re saying. The forced-change spell isn’t easy or brief.”
    “What else would you really do? Sit around and be nervous, worrying about what might happen tonight? Why not stay busy with this?” he added. “For me.”
    Before him, Seph lay back. She stretched and yawned.
    When the covers shifted, he pictured her naked body writhing beneath them, despite knowing she wore her shirt and undies. Desire warmed his skin like the summer sun. “Please, Red?”
    She groaned. “Fine. Let’s plan to start the spell at three thirty.”
    He jerked the covers up and kissed her ankle.
    “I’ll need supplies,” she said. “What time do you think Beau opens Wolfsbane and Absinthe?”
    Johnny lifted his phone from the bedside table. “I can find out.” A few clicks later, he announced, “Noon.”
    “What time is it now?”
    “Ten thirty.”
    “I’m up.” She threw back the covers.
    Her scent flooded his nostrils as the air of the room swirled. She was lean but curvy. She had the indication of muscle without the ripped physique of a gym-rat. It was utterly feminine, but minus any weakness the term could sometimes imply.
    Having selected clothes from her closet, she headed across the hall to the bathroom.
    When Johnny heard the shower switch on, he couldn’t get the image of her sudsy naked body out of his mind. Unable to restrain himself, he knocked on the bathroom door and opened it before she could answer. “May I join you?” he asked.
    She peered around the shower curtain at him, rubbing shampoo into her hair. “You’re already showered and clean.”
    He unzipped his pants and lowered them enough for his erection to show. “What if I want to get dirty again?”
    Persephone sized him up. “No biting?”
    “No biting.” I can do this.
    “Mmmm. Well. You’d better get in here, dirty boy,” she said in a sultry voice.
    The water was hot and the smell of her lavender shampoo was strong as he tugged the curtain into place. Persephone had her back to him and was lathering her hair. She giggled nervously when his fingers strayed under her shoulder blades, but when he began massaging her scalp, she braced against the wall and let her head fall back.
    The vibration in his